Citizenry not a stupid as their government hoped

I take this as a good sign that North Carolinians aren't quite the stupid herd animals that our elected officials believed them to be. They understand that they have higher odds of being killed in a plane crash than winning the lottery, and are reacting accordingly. (Or, as the Mountain Man puts it, "Playing the lottery does not substantially increase your odds of winning.")

Of course, lottery officials simply believe that the prizes aren't big enough. Well, they can put the lottery players' money where their mouths are, make the prizes larger and see what happens.

Personally, I just don't care for government-sanctioned gambling, any more than I care for government-owned liquor stores, single-payer heath care or welfare. Government should be kept small and highly focused, and that focus should be on a very limited scope of activities.